Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame staff have always been out on the front foot when it comes to building recruiting classes. In the 2027 cycle, the Irish still have plenty of pledges to add the fold, but they’re off to another strong start.
As of April 22, Notre Dame has nine total commits in the mix, forging a class that now ranks No. 8 nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
The secondary is a strong suit this cycle. Cincinnati Anderson four-star CB Ace Alston brought a big early commitment back on December 9 and was flanked by Raleigh (N.C.) Cardinal Gibbons four-star cornerback Xavier Hasan just six days later. Both remain top-100 recruits and sit atop the class.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic four-star interior offensive lineman James Halter is a quintessential Notre Dame recruit and he pledged even earlier than the corners back in October. His stock has remained on the rise, too.
“The whole staff are real and genuine people,” Halter previously told Rivals. “They care about their players and know how to get the best out of them. The people make it special. Everyone there really cares about you and wants to see you succeed.”
The end of March brought a pair of blue-chip commitments at running back via Springfield (Mass.) Central four-star Isaiah Rogers and Waco (Texas) Midway four-star Lathan Whisenton. Both are top-15 recruits at the position.
“Rogers is a prospect who, as we’ve continued to study his junior season and get more information, he’s a prospect that we like quite a bit,” Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power recently said. “A recent commitment to Notre Dame, he has a high-end combination of size and athleticism. I think his production and junior season, the more and more we’ve dug on it, merited an upward move in this update.”
Running BackFour-star Isaiah Rogers, No. 199 NATL. (No. 12 RB)Four-star Lathan Whisenton, No. 208 NATL. (No. 13 RB)
Interior Offensive LinemanFour-star James Halter, No. 89 NATL. (No. 8 IOL)Four-star Richie Flanigan, No. 336 NATL. (No. 23 IOL)
LinebackerFour-star Amarii Irvin, No. 303 NATL. (No. 25 LB)
CornerbackFour-star Xavier Hasan, No. 47 NATL. (No. 7 CB)Four-star Ace Alston, No. 87 NATL. (No. 12 CB)
SafetyThree-star John Gay III, No. 831 NATL. (No. 91 S)